Lesson 99. The Approaching Storm

Does anyone know how events will unfold at the end of time? In what sequence will they follow one another? How will this affect me personally? What will I do with my knowledge, and how will it help me at that time? How prepared am I for what will come crashing down upon me? And will I be able to stand?

All these questions and others arise as that time draws nearer. I understand that I do not know how to answer myself. I can explain everything to other people who ask me similar questions. I am able to calm those who are overcome by fear, but I cannot say anything to myself, because I understand that I may be presumptuous and mistaken. And this is part of God’s plan for me.

For example, I can call many of you holy, righteous, wise, strong, special, and gifted, and this would not be flattery. Such words would be true and honest. They would strengthen you, give you joy and hope, and bring happiness and blessing. But if I began to say such things about myself, I believe you would consider me a very presumptuous braggart who misunderstands something—and you would be right. Yet if you decided to say the same things about me, they would sound entirely different.

Any praise directed at me is good only when it comes from someone else’s lips.

God has given us to one another so that we may influence, strengthen, correct, uphold one another’s hands, help, inspire, praise, bring joy, comfort, and do many other things that draw us closer to God and to one another.

In His prophecies, God warned us in general terms about what would take place in the last days. We know the sequence in which events will develop. The fulfillment of these prophecies is taking place before our eyes. We can even imagine the actual details of certain future situations. But I have no clear understanding of precisely what I should do, how this time will affect me personally, what the persecutions will be like, or where I should flee. I believe none of us has the answers to these questions. There are, however, people who take responsibility and teach in general terms how to prepare in order to stand. There are also those who observe political events and then tell us how they are developing. In addition, world news testifies to me that the storm is approaching and the collision is inevitable. All this information comes crashing down upon me, and I do not know what to do. Then I also read that all the virgins fell asleep, and I become completely discouraged. I do not much like the prospect of such a condition. Whatever else I may be, I do not want to be asleep.

But within all this there is also very good news. It tells me that Jesus loves me and that He Himself is personally preparing me for the events ahead, giving me now, today, precisely the knowledge and light I am capable of receiving and that will help me solve the problems of the present day. In addition, Jesus reveals prospects for my growth, but not for my entire life, keeping that knowledge within His own authority. He once answered His disciples in Acts 1:7: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.”

God has taken responsibility for our salvation, and He accomplishes it in the best possible way.

Let us imagine events unfolding in this way. The Hebrews were living in slavery. Then God chose Moses and said to him: “Go now to the people and tell them every detail of their deliverance. Go to Pharaoh and speak My words to him. He will not listen to you, and I will pour out ten specific plagues upon Egypt. Then you will leave and come to the sea, which I will divide for you. You will cross it as on dry land, and the entire Egyptian army will perish there on the bottom of the sea. After that you will rebel against Me, and I will destroy every one of you who is over twenty years old except Caleb and Joshua. Even you and Aaron will not enter the Promised Land. So go and tell them!” Did the Lord act in this way?

We know this story from beginning to end. Yet we see that God had a plan, and it was carried out in accordance with the situation that existed at the time. God knows the future, but He does not use this knowledge as a program of action. He does with me today what I allow Him to do.

I desire to meet the storm with oil in my lamp and a reserve of oil in my vessel. I declare this to God and ask for wisdom from above so that I may prepare more fully. The Lord does not give me a precise answer such as, “The oil is this, and you need to do this in order to possess it.” God begins to teach me according to the strength of my intellect, my abilities, my perception, and my willingness to study deeply, change, relinquish, and accept. This is not a one-day process. Yet the Lord does not hurry me, but walks at the pace I am capable of maintaining. He does not worry that I will fail to learn something in time or miss something important. God returns to the place where I stopped and begins explaining it to me until I understand.

If I belong to God, I should fear nothing. I need to learn to trust Him.

God has provided the special gift of love for His children in the last days, because love sharpens my perception, cleanses my soul, drives out sin, opens my eyes, and enriches my imagination and my influence. Love casts out fear of a dreadful future. It teaches me to rest upon God’s promises and entrust my life to Him. When I hear frightening news or rumors that the powerful of this world desire to harm me, and I do not know how to resist or avoid the traps that have been set, I look to Jesus and ask Him, “What should I do, Lord?” He gives me no instructions, but shows me His hands, which are so large that it is impossible to fall from them. I decide to remain in His embrace. I believe that God is stronger than all my enemies, and as long as I am with Him, I have nothing to fear. But I did not learn this trust in a single day. I obtained this gift through various small trials and difficulties that I experienced, during which I asked for help and received answers. I can only tell you that God is too wise to make a mistake. He loves His children and constantly cares for them with tenderness.

The storm is approaching, the collision is inevitable, and I am playing in a sandbox, making sand cakes and boasting about my achievements. My Lord sits beside me, looks tenderly at me, and rejoices with me. Then He takes me by the hand and leads me where I need to go. He brings me into His house, closes the doors, washes me, changes my clothes, and feeds me. The storm rages all around. I am frightened by the crash of thunder and the roar of the wind, but He leads me to bed, tucks me in, tells me stories, and waits for me to fall asleep. When sleep comes, Jesus kisses me, turns off the light, closes the windows, and shuts the door as He leaves. The Lord remains near so that He can comfort me immediately if I suddenly awaken. I am in His house—or rather, in our house—so what should I fear?

Of course, the final events will not appear as peaceful as described above. Most likely, we will walk together beneath torrents of rain and amid the roar of the elements, but my soul will rest in God’s love.

Love is the strong house in which nothing and no one can harm my soul. When a storm rages upon the surface of the ocean, it is not felt in its depths. Therefore, the deeper I immerse myself in God’s love, the quieter the storm becomes.

1. What did you understand from this lesson?

2. Do you know how God will use you in the last days?

3. Will my knowledge help me stand in the final battle?

4. How do you picture the very last events?

5. What awaits us in the last days?

6. What will play the decisive role in my life during the events preceding Christ’s Second Coming?

7. Is it important to possess the fullness of love at that time?

8. Please read Acts 1:7–8; 1 Corinthians 8:2–3; 13:8–10; Proverbs 16:23; and Deuteronomy 29:29 in the light of our lesson.